Spring winding device for watches



March 31', 1953 C.'HILL ET AL 2,632,993

SPRING WINDING DEVICE FOR WATCHES Filed May 18, 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET l I 1 I 2/ l IIIIIHHIHIIIIHIIHII ll Illlllllllllll IN VEN TORS; CHHRLES HILL 4; CHHELES If. JOH/VS.

F/QZ w Mam}! 1953 c. HILL ETAL 2,632,993

SPRING WINDING DEVICE FOR WATCHES Filed Ma 18, 1948 2 smsms sm'r 2 5e 57, 10 {77 Z/ I A L I z; 36 H611 36 TI w q 4 K: 3 W x x \3 IN V EN TORS: x CHHE s HILL 8r BYCHHEL K JOH/VJ Patented Mar. 31, 1953 UNITED STATES EATENT OFFICE Charles Hill, Reno, N ev., and Charles K. Johns, New York, N. Y.

Application May 18, 1948, Serial No. 27,654

1 Claim.

This invention relates to safety devices as applied to one of the elements of a watch winding gear train so that the spring of the watch can be fully wound without danger of damage to the parts of the watch.

While reference to a watch is made, the invention is equally adaptable for use with toys or other spring operated devices such for instance as music boxes or the like, but it finds its most important use in connection with watches particularly of the small wrist worn type wherein the use of a device forming the subject matter of our invention is difficult of application. Our invention may be applied to the main winding gear or the crown gear of any type of watch regardless of size, the device preventing the need of vital repairs resulting from overwinding which places an excess strain on the main spring, stripping of the winding gears and rupture of the parts involved. Through the use of our device, a watch may be fully wound but never overwound so that damage to or breaking of the teeth in the main spring barrel and in the center wheel is prevented.

A particular object of the invention is to apply to one of the gears of the winding gear train, a yieldable spring disk that can be applied to the gear without changing the structure thereof or requiring alteration in the shape or size of the casing; to so shape the disk that it will operate to yield at the precise time the spring is fully wound; to provide various combinations of spring disk structures and detent means whereby some may be used under diiierent conditions as indicated by the watch structure itself and the efiort required to wind the spring and to provide a device of the character referred to which is simple and inexpensive to incorporate in the works of a watch or to apply to existing watch structures. Further, our device may be applied to the thinnest winding wheel or gears made or used and can be used in the smallest wrist watch where space is at a great premium.

With these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain constructions hereinafter described and then particularly pointed out in the claim and a preferred embodiment of our invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a watch to which our invention is applied, the case being broken to show the internal construction,

Figure 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 showing a reversal of the strap and gear with which is associated,

Figure 4 is a plan view of one of the winding gears of the watch showing the strap and detents enlarged,

Figure 5 is an enlarged section on the line 55 of Figure 4 showing the relation of the disk and one of the detents,

Figure 6 is a plan view similar to Figure 4 showing a modified form of spring arm and disk structure,

Figure 7 is a section on the line 7-4 of Figure 6 showing the relation of the parts,

Figure 8 is a view in perspective of the detent disk used with the structure shown in Figure 6,

Figure 9 is a view in section showing a spring disk of different contour than that shown in Figure 1,

Figure 10 is a plan view taken on the line Ill-48 of Figure 9, t

Figure 11 is an enlarged section taken on the line HH of Figure 10,

Figure 12 is a view similar to Figure 11 show ing an alternate form of disk and detent structure,

Figure 13 is a view similar to Figure 10- showing the use of a different form of spring disk,

Figure 14 is a section on the line I i-J4 of Figure 13 showing the relative position of the parts, and

Figure 15 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line Iii-l5 of Figure 14 illustrating the means of mounting the disk.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 10 indicates a watch which may be of the pocket or wrist type and the spring H of which is adapted to fit in a spring drum gear 12 and be wound by a gear train including the gears l3 and M which receive their winding motion through the usual winding stem of the watch. In view of the-fact that the watch structure is well known, further reference to the parts thereof need not be made except to point out that the main winding gear [4 is connected to the winding drum by an arbor [5, which in turn is connected to the drum by the spring H. The gear 13 may be referred to as the crown or winding pinion gear and it will be evident that the devices to be herein described may be as equally well applied to the gear is as to the gear M, in connection with which they are presently shown.

Referring to the form of the invention shown in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the gear I4 at spaced points about its peripheral area carries detents l6 which are in the form of studs having rounded heads i1 held in contact with one face of the gear by the riveting of the stud as at l8 flush with the opposite face of the gear. The arbor i is round in the gear journalling portion thereof, but thereabove is squared as at E9 to receive the square opening 20 in a resilient strap 2|. The latter is dome shaped in cross section as at 221 and has diametrically extending arm portions 23 in which openings 24 are provided. Two or more detents are employed and the strap may have two or more arms which yieldably bear on the surface of the gear and ride over the detents when the spring is fully Wound to provide a clicking sound of warning. The gear and strap revolve as a unit until the wound resistance of the spring overcomes the tension resistance of the disk arms to passage over the detents.

In the form of the invention shown in Figures 6, '7 and 8 the gear 26 rides freely on the round section 21 of the arbor 28' and carries a separate detent disk 29 which fits over the square end of said arbor. The disk has recesses 39 about the peripheral edge thereof which are adapted to be yieldably engaged by the lobe ends 3! of spring arms 32 which are secured as by pins and screws at their other ends to the face of the gear 29. When the spring of the watch is fully wound, the lobe ends 3| will unseat from the disk 29 and thereafter provide a clicking sound to warn that the watch has been fully wound. If desired this form of safeguard may be used on the flat face of the gear on either the under or the upper side thereof or it may be housed in a recess in the face of the gear and in either of the positions referred to. Further the shapes of the lobes may be formed so that they will prevent the winding of the watch in one direction by abutment with one edge of the recess but will slide out along the other edge when the spring is fully wound. A

retaining disk plate 33 may be used to prevent vibration or distortion of said arm 32.

In the form of the invention shown in the Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12, the flat face of the gear 34 is provided with recess 35 adjacent the periphery thereof in which balls 39 are seated to be engaged by the outer edge area of a disk 3'! which is seated on the squared end of the arbor 38. This disk is domed centrally as at 39 so that openings 46, of smaller diameter than the balls, can seat on said balls and by yieldable resistance turn the gear arbor until the spring of the watch is fully wound, at which time the disk will rotate independently of the gear, the balls making a clicking sound as the disk openings ride thereover. The balls may be dispensed with by providing a disk 4| with nubs or hollow protuberances 42 which seat in the recesses 43 of the gear 34.

In the form of the invention shown in the Figs ures 13, 14 and the face of the gear 45 may support a drive disk 46 which fits over the square shank of the arbor 41 and is recessed to provide spaced peripherally arranged seats 48 into which fit the projected nubs 49 of a free spring disk 59 having peripheral ears 5! for free engagement with vertical slots 52 formed in the side wall of the gear 45 as by drilling part of the way into the gear. The disk 59 is assembled as by flexing so that the ears snap into the slots 52 which turn the disk 50 with the gear, thus eliminating the need for securing the disk to the gear by other fastening means. When the resistance of the spring reaches its wound maximum, the disk 50 yields and the nubs 49 thereof leave their seats and thereafter provide a warning click to notify the person winding the watch that the spring is properly wound. The disk 59 is ridged diametrically to provide a high central part 53 in which the ears 5| are formed and downwardly flared flanking portions or sides 54 in which the nubs 49 are formed. It is evident that with the disk 50, the nubs may be replaced by ball detents without altering the intent of the invention.

It is evident that in the various forms of the invention disclosed, the same may be used with a flat faced gear, or with one having a recess in the face thereof and the disk that constitutes the tension element or release may be placed under or on top of the gear. The object is principally to provide a device that can be used in very small watch structures and to this end the space saving features of the disk are important ones as the devices must be applied to accepted watch designs and styling.

Our invention is not to be restricted to the precise details of construction shown since various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention or sacrificing the advantages derived from its use.

What we claim is:

In a Watch including coplanar meshing gears for winding the spring of the watch through a spring winding arbor upon which arbor one of said gears is mounted for free rotation; the combination withv said arbor and gear mounted thereon of a thin metallic flexible disk member for transferring the winding movement of the mounted gear to said arbor, said disk being shaped to provide a central bowed portion and integral diametrically opposite arms extending from said bowed portion to engage the face of the mounted gear, the center of said bowed portion being provided with a rectangular opening for fitting about a similarly shaped portion of said arbor, means for securing the disk on the arbor to maintain said bowed portion under tension, said arms being of substantial width with respect to said bowed portion for frictional engagement with the face of the mounted gear under pressure exerted by the tension of said bowed portion and presenting openings therein, and projections on the face of the gear for engagement with said openings and over which said arms ride when the spring is fully wound to provide an audible clicking warning.

. CHARLES HILL.

CHARLES K. JOHNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 533,394 Mosher Jan. 29, 1895 1,167,285 Flogland Jan. 4, 1916 1,496,059 Lanzetta June 3, 1921 2,164,870 DeSalardi July 7, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 120,030 Switzerland Aug. 16, 1927 161,888 Switzerland Aug. 1,1933 402,841 Germany Sept. 22, 1924 

